Black holes · Black hole · supermassive black hole
The first image of a black hole’s surroundings: radio light from hot gas around M87*, shown on an orange brightness scale.
Featured palette: Event Horizon Telescope image, April 2017 data (Sampled from this image)
#864515#0C0504#2B0101#5C0902#9B2402
Credit: EHT Collaboration. · released 10 April 2019
About M87*
M87* is the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy Messier 87. From the Event Horizon Telescope image and a distance of 16.8 Mpc, its mass is 6.5 ± 0.2 (statistical) ± 0.7 (systematic) billion solar masses.
| Classification | Black hole (supermassive black hole) |
|---|---|
| Host galaxy | Messier 87 |
| Mass | 6.5 billion solar masses ± 0.2 × 10⁹ (statistical) ± 0.7 × 10⁹ (systematic)mass from the black-hole shadow, assuming a distance of 16.8 Mpc · Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration / arXiv |
| Observed with | Event Horizon Telescope, 1.3 mmhow the image was made · April 2017 · Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration / arXiv |
Why these colours?
A brightness scale, not a colour
The Event Horizon Telescope observed at 1.3 mm, a radio wavelength. The orange is a colour scale for brightness; the dark centre is the shadow, not a surface.
From: Event Horizon Telescope image, April 2017 data Mapped non-visible data
Colour clusters describe pixels in an image; they cannot identify a mineral, a gas or a physical temperature. Shares of pixels describe the sampled region of the image, not the object’s surface.
Colours from selected views
Palettes sampled from identified images and regions, or calculated from a documented model. These values describe each image or model, not one permanent colour of M87*.
Event Horizon Telescope image, April 2017 data
Sampled from this image · Event Horizon Telescope image, April 2017 data
#864515RGB 134, 69, 21region average#0C0504RGB 12, 5, 480% of the region#2B0101RGB 43, 1, 19% of the region#5C0902RGB 92, 9, 24% of the region#9B2402RGB 155, 36, 23% of the region
See where these colours came from
Creative palettes inspired by M87*
A design derived from the selected representation. It is not a scientific colour measurement. Each colour keeps the sampled colour it was made from.
Event Horizon
Inspired by this object
#352B29RGB 53, 43, 41from #0C0504#8B564FRGB 139, 86, 79from #2B0101#E48878RGB 228, 136, 120from #5C0902#FFE0D8RGB 255, 224, 216from #9B2402
The image’s orange scale spread from shadow to bright ring, as a design palette.
Explore the views
Pick a colour from the image. Click or tap the picture to read a colour. Picked colours are yours, not catalogue samples.
No supported 3D model is available for this view. You can still inspect the source imagery and palette.
Use these colours
Every palette above opens in the palette generator. With JavaScript you can also add colours to your cosmic palette, save them, make a gradient or pattern, preview them in a design or a room (you choose which colour goes on which surface), check digital accessibility and export them. Each colour keeps the view and sample it came from.
Paint matches compare digital swatches for design inspiration. They are not physical equivalents of light from space. Edits create a new design palette. The original representation remains unchanged.
Questions about M87*’s colours
Is the black hole orange?
No. The image shows radio emission from surrounding gas, displayed with an orange brightness scale.
Sources
- Black Holes — NASA
- First Image of a Black Hole — ESO
- First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. VI. The Shadow and Mass of the Central Black Hole (ApJL 875, L6, 2019) — Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration / arXiv
Image credits
- Event Horizon Telescope image, April 2017 data: EHT Collaboration. CC BY 4.0. Resized for the web from the publisher’s file (sha256 c23f0006c68d2c35168c1db870be338dd850f6408e27ae9fcbbec286c08d3dc1).
Images were resized once for the web; colours were measured from the published files (k-means in OKLab, pcke-oklab-kmeans-1); calculated colours use the CIE 1931 2° observer. Facts last reviewed 25 October 2026. Catalogue pcke-cosmos-2026-10-25, page revision 4bde928c6108. No ESA, ESO or NASA endorsement is implied.